South Winchester Barbeque

Dropped by with my son on Friday night during Covid. 3 huge coolers of cans of mostly local IPAs, plus a dozen more on tap. A bbq sandwich with a side is about $16. $8/beer. On par with Silicon Valley prices. Beer selection is very good. Some harder to find locals. BBQ good, but not the best.

It’s about the food at this establishment. It is very well done barbeque. Classic entrees and sandwiches are served up fast in plastic baskets on plastic trays. Smokers out in back tell you that you have arrived as soon as you step out of your car. The taps are on a very modest wall at the end of the bar not close to any seating, and none have handles indicating what beers are flowing. There are a few shelves with bottles on them at that same end, but it’s not very impressive either. I asked for a beer list, but was referred to the chalk board showing what was on tap, so I couldn’t tell what bottled brands they were serving. Of the ten taps they have, only six were pouring. Seating is in basic tables with a long table down the center, all of which could stand to be cleaned a bit more promptly as patrons leave. There are good beers here, but come here for the food.

Place was hopping at 5:30 on a rainy Saturday. Decent sized parking lot was not full though. Smokers out back sizzling in the rain was nice. They have a sizeable patio, but most of it is uncovered and therefore was closed. Maybe 5 tables outside in the covered area. Inside there is a really long communal table and maybe a half dozen others, plus a rather small bar. As is the norm, you order at the window and they holler your name when your food is ready. They had all the meats left when we ordered around 6:30, which is not the norm at the Aptos Street location. Fewer taps than the sister restaurants, but they may well be planning to expand. What they had was high impact, including a couple Societe and a SARA tap. Maybe 50 bottles in a cooler with some decent stuff including some ciders. Service was great overall. Brisket was up to the usual high standards, but the tri-tip was fatty as hell. Prices reasonable on beer, on par with others for the meats.